Yet Another Fanfic
by Ichiban Victory
Summary: Yet another fic centered on Amelia and Zelgadis, but Lina and Gourry show up as well! A test fic of sorts...
1. Yet Another.. (Chapter 1)

First off, I just want to say that none of these characters belong to me, not even the ones I made up! (I don't need them anyway...) I wrote this mostly for pleasure because of a silly idea I got.. ^_^ I tried to base the characters more on how they are in the manga (mainly Zelgadis being somewhat friendly -moreso that he usually is in the anime- , and Lina and Gourry actually working odd jobs to make money. That's what they do in the manga! Give those poor bandits a break!). Also, this will be a buddy fic! No romance here because I didn't feel that the story needed it (and I'm not one for too much romance in my stories anyway. Maybe that'll change if I ever have a boyfriend...) Argh! I digress too much! Anyway, so enjoy the fic, enjoy the pics, but don't send me money for them, because like I said before, none of these characters belong to me, nor am I making any money off of them. Thank you!

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Amelia-

I've just found out a tip to a cave south of Seyruun. I'll be passing through the area in a week. You are welcome to come along if you wish.

-Zelgadis

Dear Mister Zelgadis,

I would be honored to go with you! It's been pretty slow here lately anyway. Daddy is pleased with the idea as well. "The more Good-will ambassador trips, the better!" he says. I'll be waiting for you!

Your Friend,

Amelia

Zelgadis read over the letter again as he stood at the gates to the Seyruun palace. Moments before a guard had been sent to inform the princess, Amelia, that her "consort" had arrived.

"All those silly terms to cover up a little trip'." thought Zelgadis.

He looked again to the palace doors, finally seeing them open, and saw Amelia step out. She was quick to turn back inside and yell, "I love you too, Daddy!" before running up to join Zelgadis.

Eying the guards, Amelia asked, "Shall we be off then, Master Greywords?" and winked at Zelgadis.

"But of course, Princess." said Zelgadis as he bowed. They then proceeded to leave Seyruun. As they put some distance between themselves and the palace gates, Amelia turned to Zelgadis.

"Sorry about that, Mr. Zelgadis. Daddy wants me to act more "lady-like". Amelia giggled.

"Not a problem. Let's just get out of here." Zelgadis wasn't one for too much formality.

"Oh! So what's so special about this cave, anyway?" Amelia asked.

"From what I've gathered, an ancient temple lies within it, but no one has been able to enter it for a very long time. I'm hoping that there will be something of use to me there."

"But why wouldn't anybody enter it? You don't suppose it's..._haunted,_ do you Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia cringed at the thought.

"I'll guess we'll have to find out when we get there." Zelgadis' comment did little to relieve Amelia. "Oh, I'm pretty sure it isn't haunted. And even if it was. you specialize in exorcism, don't you?" Zelgadis gave a skeptical look to Amelia.

Amelia blushed in embarrassment. "Yes, I do... But I can't stand ghosts! ...they scare me. Aren't you afraid of anything, Mr. Zelgadis?"

"Well yes, but fortunately ghosts isn't one of them." he smiled at Amelia. "So we'll be fine." 

"Oh, now you're teasing me!"

Zelgadis just smiled.

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They continued out of the city limits and then through the countryside. As they drew closer to their destination, they spied a house. As they got closer, they could see an older man sitting on the porch. He waved and called to them.

"Hello there! And where might you two be off to?"

Amelia, being the outgoing person that she is, was quick to respond, "We've come to explore a cave nearby!"

The old man tsk'ed. "If you mean the cave about three miles that-a-way (he pointed further down the path), you're outta luck. Well, you anyway Miss."

"What do you mean?" Zelgadis asked.

"That cave is protected by some ward. Only non-humanoids, or impure humanoids as the case may be (yes, he was looking at Zelgadis) can enter the cave.

Amelia's shoulder's sagged. "Oh, I really wanted to go with you, Mr. Zelgadis."

Zelgadis wasn't sure how to respond. "Well, you can stay and guard the campsite, I guess..."

"S'cuse me, there is a way she can accompany you, if that's what you wish."

Amelia lit up. "Really? How?"

"It just so happens that I'm a learned mage. I specialize in morphing humanoids into animals and vice-versa."

"Hmm..." Amelia really didn't want to be stuck outside the cave while Zelgadis explored for who-knows-how-long, but to change her form? Was it worth it?

"Absolutely not!" Zelgadis stated.

"Aw, why not Mr. Zelgadis? It would be more interesting than sitting outside the cave all day and possibly night."

"Amelia, we don't know this man. Besides, I'm already trying to remedy a life-altering mishap." Zelgadis frowned.

"I assure you, Sir. My intentions are pure. I actually assist in helping those who so desire to enter the cave."

Amelia looked pleadingly at Zelgadis. "Please, Mr. Zelgadis." 

Zelgadis was stuck. He didn't want to do anything that may endanger Amelia, but he also knew that he'd have no way of stopping her if she were determined to go with him. Which she was.

Zelgadis looked at the sky. "Look, it's getting late. How about we set up camp for the night and decide tomorrow morning?"

"Okay!" All the more time for Amelia to convince Zelgadis to let her accompany him. "Is it all right if we camp out in your yard, Sir?"

"No problem at all. And the name's Bert." Bert smiled.

"Thank you, Mr. Bert! Well see you in the morning!" Amelia beamed, then set off to set up her tent.

Bert retired to his cabin, leaving Zelgadis to his thoughts.

"Why do I get a sense of foreboding?"


	2. Yet Another... (Chapter 2)

Hi, me again! Just wanted to let you know how lazy I was in typing this story. Anytime you see Amelia talk with *...*, she sounds like whatever it is she is. (Hence chirping, barking, meowing, etc.) No way was I going to type that everytime she spoke... Also, anytime she speaks in "..." (italicized as well), she's thinking to herself.

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Come morning, Amelia had finally convinced Zelgadis to let her accompany him to the cave. The two broke camp, and then knocked on Bert's door. After a moment, he opened it.

"Oh, morning! So have you decided?" Bert asked.

"Yes, I will accompany Mr. Zelgadis into the cave!" Amelia beamed. She seemed a bit too eager, in Zelgadis' opinion.

"Then please, come this way!"

Bert led them into a small room in his cabin. In the center of the room was a big magic circle. Bert motioned for Amelia to remove her pack and step into the circle. Having done so, he started to cast a spell.

Zelgadis watched on in fascination. At first nothing happened, but then Amelia was surrounded by a white aura. As Bert continued chanting, the aura became blindingly bright. When Bert completed the spell, the aura shrank and faded away, leaving a small bird in the center of the circle surrounded by now useless clothes. Amelia the bird swayed to and fro for a moment before finally planting her two clawed feet on the floor. Zelgadis just watched on in astonishment.

"Oh good, everything went well. The spell is only temporary, and will only last for about a day. So please, do take all of your things." Bert said.

Zelgadis crouched down by Amelia. "Now you're _sure _about this?" he asked her. Amelia chirped in response. "All right already! Come here, I'll carry you for a bit." Zelgadis offered his hand to Amelia, who in turn was quick to climb on, if not a bit clumsily.

"The initial shock from being morphed should wear off soon." said Bert. He watched as Zelgadis gathered up Amelia's things. "Oh! There is one thing. Make sure she doesn't get too excited."

"What?!"

"Nothing drastic, if anything it will just cause her minor discomfort."

Zelgadis shot Amelia a look. "Hear that? Disobey, and I'll have to bring you right back."

*No fair! I'll be fine.* Amelia chirped back.

Zelgadis just rolled his eyes as he left the room.

*Good-bye Mr. Bert!*

Bert waved and watched them leave.

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Back outside, Amelia could only look about in wonderment. (It didn't help that Zelgadis had her cupped in his hand.) Everything was so...well, so BIG! She wanted to see things from higher up.

*Mr. Zelgadis, I'm feeling better now. May I explore?*

Zelgadis looked down at Amelia. "Only if you stay within sight. I don't want to have to chase you down."

*I will, I promise!*

"Well okay then." Zelgadis his grip on Amelia. 

She tentatively hopped to the edge of his outstretched fingers, then lept off! Zelgadis started to panic as she neared the ground, and reached out his hands to catch her. At the last moment ,however, she hit an updraft and soared high above his head.

What fun! This was a much better way to fly than any spell could ever be! Amelia soared higher and higher, but then looked down and realized she couldn't see Zelgadis. _"Uh oh, he won't like that..."_ She prepared to dive but something on the horizon caught her eye. There! It was a cave, but there was something else. Two somethings, actually. A short human girl, and a tall human male. Amelia looked closer. _"It is! It's Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry! Wait until Mr. Zelgadis hears about this!" _Amelia dove until she could again see Zelgadis. She flapped close to him. perching on his shoulder.

*Mr. Zelgadis! It's Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry!"*

"Where?" Zelgadis looked around.

*This way!* Amelia again took off, and quickly flew down the path, out of sight.

"Amelia! Wait! Come back!" Zelgadis charged after her down the path. "Why me..?"

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Lina was pleased. She and Gourry had just finished another odd job' and had earned enough money to live (luxuriously!) off of for weeks! Life didn't get much better than this. She continued down the path, tossing a small bag of coins as she went.

Nothing but blue skies, fresh air, her constant companion at her side, and that crazed bird flying straight at her. What?! Lina broke out of her daydream and saw that there WAS a crazed little bird flying straight at her. Lina did the best thing she could think of.

"Scram, you stupid bird!" she yelled, all the while preparing a Flare Arrow. 

Needless to say, Amelia panicked. She immediately veered off-course and tried to circle back to Zelgadis. Something wasn't right, or more importantly, something didn't _feel _right.

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"Oh no!" Amelia thought.

Lina watched the bird veer off, but was more amazed to see it change shape in mid-air. "What the...?"

It's tail became long, thin, and hairy. Not to mention it's feet looked more like that of a mouse. The wings became shorter and formed into two legs, causing it to fall to the ground. As Lina (and Gourry at this point) watched, was once was a bird was now a small black mouse. Lina, unsure of what it was, continued to point her spell at it.

Zelgadis had seen the whole thing. Fearing what Lina might do, he burst into the clearing. "Stop! Don't hurt her! That's Amelia!!"

"Wha..?" Lina looked up to see Zelgadis appear out of the forest, then back down to the mouse, which was curled up and cringing by this point. "Amelia?" Lina discharged her spell, then bent down to get a closer look.

With it's black fur and blue eyes, it did resemble Amelia, sort of... Lina poked at it with her finger. "A-Amelia?" she asked.

The mouse looked up at her and squeaked. Lina scooped up the small bundle of fur then turned to Zelgadis.

"What? Is this some joke? You got some enchanted _animal_ that can change shape, and you named it _Amelia_?" Lina tried to stifle a laugh.

Amelia was outraged. A mere _animal_? And Mr. Zelgadis would never do such a thing! She decided to give Lina an earful, when that sickening feeling returned. Her whole body was coming in on itself. She looked at what she was becoming. _"Oh no!"_

While Lina yelled to Zelgadis (who was quite out of breath), she felt something different in her hand. Something slimy... Lina grew very quiet, as she slowly uncurled her fingers.

"Lina, what's wrong?" asked Gourry.

It was just as she suspected! "S-S-S-S-SLUG!!!!" Lina tried to fling it off of her glove, to no avail. "GET IT OFF!! GET IT _OFF_!!! She was flailing her arms around like mad.

Zelgadis saw this, and lept at Lina, holding her arm above her head so she couldn't continue to flail it. "Lina! Get a grip! That _is _Amelia! Our friend Amelia! Just calm down, it'll be okay." Zelgadis tried to sound soothing.

"But it's so slimy and disgusting!" Lina was practically beside herself in hysterics. Lina could feel her arm going numb. "Please, just get it _off_!" she bawled.

Seeing his chance, Zelgadis picked Amelia the slug off of Lina's soiled glove. "Amelia, are you okay? Everything's fine now, just relax." He gave a sigh of relief when she again reverted back to being a bird. A bird who couldn't see straight thanks to Lina, but a bird nonetheless.

"Lina, it's okay now. The slug's gone." Gourry said, rocking her out of her state of shock.

Lina sniffled and looked around, just to be sure. Other than the slimy residue on her glove, the slug was indeed gone.

"Hey Zelgadis, what was that all about?" Gourry asked.

"It's a long story. Amelia and I were on our way to a cave, but now we'll have to turn back." Zelgadis looked down at Amelia.

Amelia sat up in shock. Go back? But they had just gotten there! She couldn't let Zelgadis turn back now, especially since this whole scene was her fault! Ah- on no, she'd gotten herself worked up again...

Zelgadis quickly realized that he no longer had hold of a bird, but that now there was a fairly large dog tugging at his pant leg. "Why me...?"

*Mr. Zelgadis!* Amelia barked. *We can't turn back now! I'm fine, really!*

"Somehow, I don't believe you." Zelgadis found himself sitting on the ground.

*I'm serious, Mr. Zelgadis!* Amelia looked him right in the eye.

"All right! All right!!" he exclaimed.

"Zel, something the matter? You sound like you can understand what the dog is saying." remarked Lina.

Zelgadis stood up and dusted himself off. "Look, I already told you, Lina. That "dog" is Amelia! She was accompanying me to a cave that no "pure-humanoid" can enter. We met someone that changed her, but because of that whole scene you caused, something's gone wrong!"

Amelia leaned against Zelgadis' leg. *And you say I need to calm down...*

"Well, hello to you, too! Do you always treat old friends this way?" Lina snapped.

"Lina, calm down." pleaded Gourry.

*Fighting never solved anything! Miss Lina! Mr. Zelgadis!*

Lina looked down at the barking Amelia. "What did she say?" she asked.

"She's reprimanding us for fighting. Sorry Amelia, you're right." replied Zelgadis.

"She would... Anyway, where's this cave you were headed to?" asked Lina.

"It shouldn't be much farther. Maybe a half-hour walk or so. Why do you ask?"

Lina smiled. "If it's as you said, there might be some good stuff in there!"

Zelgadis shot an amused look at Lina. "Provided you can get in."

"Yeah well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. C'mon, Gourry!"

"This I'll have to see." Zelgadis smirked.

And so the foursome made their way to the cave. Sure enough, it wasn't much further at all. The cave itself didn't look too special, just your average hole in the hillside.

"That's it?" Lina scoffed.

"According to my map, yes." answered Zelgadis.

Lina approached the entrance. "I don't see any magical barriers. It was probably some old tale to scare off would-be looters!" Having said this, Lina stepped boldly into the cave. That had been her intention, anyway. She was flung back violently to the ground instead.

"Lina, are you okay?" asked Gourry.

"Oww.. So much for that theory." Lina rubbed her bruised back.

*Let me try!* Amelia bounded up to the cave, but then slowed down and approached the entrance cautiously. Sensing nothing amiss, she stepped into the cave. Other than an odd tingling feeling, she made it in. *Mr. Bert was right! Are you coming, Mr. Zelgadis?*

"Yes, hang on a second." Zelgadis turned to Lina and Gourry. "What do you two plan on doing?"

"Seeing as we can't go in (it's so unfair!), we'll be gracious enough to wait here for you. Right, Gourry?"

"Right! ...but Lina, what'll we do about lunch? I'm starved." Gourry moaned.

"There's a creek about a mile back. It has enough fish to suit your needs. Especially since Amelia refused to eat any..." Zelgadis said.

*No fair! You know I don't like fish!*

"Sounds like a plan then. Just don't be gone too long!" Lina winked at Zelgadis. "Oh! Hey Amelia, c'mere real quick!" Amelia bounded over to where Lina was still sitting on the ground. "If you see any souvenirs' -especially the shiny expensive kind- could you bring me some?" Lina whispered.

Amelia gave Lina a disgusted look.

"Please? I don't want to miss out on this entirely."

*I guess...*

"Thanks, Amelia!" Lina pet her on the head and grinned. "Oh, and keep Zel out of trouble." she winked.

Amelia made a hasty retreat back to Zelgadis, who was already in the cave.

"See you guys later!" Lina waved. "C'mon, Gourry, those fish are calling!"

"All right! Food!"


	3. Yet Another... (Chapter 3)

In the cave. everything looked as you'd expect a cave to be: dark, damp, and rocky. Zelgadis remedied the first by casting a light spell.

"Okay Amelia, be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary."

*Right!* Since her eyesight was greatly hindered by the lack of light (it didn't help that dogs by nature don't have keen eyesight), she did the next best thing and followed her nose.

As they delved deeper into the cave, everything became more smooth. Zelgadis noted that the temple was built right into the cave walls. He stopped to study some inscriptions.

"Amelia, any idea what this says?" Zelgadis turned around. "Amelia?"

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Amelia had been too caught up in exploring with her heightened senses to notice she had wandered away from Zelgadis. So far she had found nothing of interest. Rocks, more rocks, a bit of mold... Wait! She heard something scuttling across the floor. She moved closer to the sound. Small, four legs, dragging tail, smells like..dead bugs? Whatever it was, it didn't enjoy the company, and told Amelia so by sinking it's sharp teeth into her nose.

Amelia yelped and reared back, crashing into a column, which unfortunately collapsed. Amelia tried to get free of the debris, but was stuck fast. She then realized that it was pitch black, the perfect atmosphere for wayward souls. Amelia panicked.

Zelgadis had heard Amelia's cry, and followed after it. He came upon a pile of debris (which would explain the sound of something collapsing) and a small lizard. He stooped down and pick it up.

"You're becoming more of a hindrance than helpful. Now come on, I think we'll find something further back."

Amelia noticed the fading light, and finding it suddenly much easier to move, she crawled out of the debris. She saw Zelgadis retreating further into the cave. Not wanting to be left in the dark, she lept after him. Wait..lept? Oh no... No wonder she couldn't hear Zelgadis very well. She could easily feel the vibration caused by his footsteps, however.

*Mr. Zelgadis, wait!* Amelia the flea lept as fast as she could after him.

After what felt like an eternity, Zelgadis stopped in front of a large statue. While he pondered over the statue, the lizard made a break a break for it. Amelia froze. It was coming straight for her! She tried to leap closer to Zelgadis, but the lizard cut her off!

*Mr. Zelgadis!!*

Just as it closed in for the kill, Amelia felt strange again. Wings sprouted out of her back, and her body elongated. She was quick to put her newfound wings to use and flew up and away from the lizard. She flew to Zelgadis.

Zelgadis had been absorbed in studying the statue. Of a beast man. Go figure. Might explain about the cave though. His thoughts were interrupted by something fluttering about his head. He waved his hand to scare it off, but to no avail. Now slightly annoyed, he looked up to see a small butterfly land on the statue.

He was about to swat it away until a thought struck him: Since when do butterflies live in dark caves? Moths maybe, but not butterflies. He looked closer. The butterfly had black wings, accented by blue and pink. "Amelia?" The butterfly didn't seem to respond, so he put his hand out in front of it. Just as he suspected, it climbed on.

While Zelgadis scolded himself for being careless, Amelia again changed shape. This time to a small black cat.

"Amelia, what were you doing?"

*I was looking around, like you told me to, at least I was until a lizard attacked me! Then the ceiling fell on me, you left me behind, the lizard tried to eat me, and Mr. Zelgadis...you almost _killed_ me!*

Zelgadis rubbed the back of his head. "Yes, well, I wasn't thinking... In any case, I don't think I'll find anything of use here. We may as well head back."

*Aww, I thought for sure...*

"It's happened before. I'm not too surprised. Let's just go."

And so they did. As they approached the mouth of the cave, they heard fighting outside. But this wasn't another petty fight between Lina and Gourry, it sounded like a small war had broken out. Bandits, most likely.

*Mr. Zelgadis, we have to help!* Amelia bolted for the entrance.

"Amelia, wait!" Zelgadis chased after her.

Their suspicions were correct: there were at least 40 bandits attacking Lina and Gourry. There were a few charred and slashed victims, but Lina and Gourry couldn't hold out for much longer.

Amelia felt her rage for this injustice building. Before she realized it, she again grew wings and an elongated body, but 20 times as large as she had been previously. She let out a ferocious roar.

The bandits (those still standing) looked up to see a huge black dragon. They all but tripped over each other as they fled.

"You don't get off that easy!" screamed Lina. "Dragon Slave!" and the retreating bandits met with oblivion.

The battle over, Lina and Gourry turned to Zelgadis. 

"Hey, good timing!" said Lina.

"What happened?" asked Zelgadis.

"We went fishing, and when we came back to camp those bandits were trying to take whatever they could. I wanted to just take them all out with a Dragon Slave, but they were too close to the cave!" Lina replied.

Gourry looked up to see Amelia towering over the group. "D-D-Dragon!" he yelled.

"Gourry, relax! It's just Amelia." Zelgadis also looked up at Amelia. "I think you got too carried away this time. Just look at yourself!"

*I couldn't help it! When I saw them all attacking Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry...Oops.*

Zelgadis, Lina, and Gourry were all cringing on the ground, their hands covering their ears.

"Ow, Amelia! Keep it down, we can hear you just fine! Great..my ears will be ringing for a week!" complained Lina.

*Sorry.* Amelia whispered (or tried to. It's hard to make a quiet roar!)

Zelgadis, having recovered, looked about the camp. The tents were all torn up. Fortunately he'd had his pack of essentials with him. He looked up at the setting sun. "It's too late to head back now. Do we dare stay here for the night?"

"I don't see much choice. We should build a fire before it gets too dark. Just to keep back the cold. I doubt we'll have anymore trouble tonight, especially since we have a ferocious dragon to protect us." Lina replied.

Amelia sweatdropped. Leave it to Lina to take advantage of every situation.

A fire was built and everyone gathered around it. Well, mostly. Amelia was too large and so instead lay around the fire. Since the tents were all thrashed, everyone prepared for a night under the stars. Amelia had just started to drift off when she felt a drip land on her nose. She looked up to see storm clouds moving in. Then the downpour came...

"Argh! Wet!" yelled Lina.

Gourry and Zelgadis were also quick to wake up. Not wanting her friends to get drenched, Amelia unfurled a wing above them to protect them from the rain.

"Hey, good thinking, Amelia!" praised Lina.

"But will you be okay?" asked Zelgadis.

*I'll be fine. Don't worry about it.*

So the trio didn't. Instead they all moved closer to Amelia's body, as she gave off more heat than the dying fire. They all snuggled into their bedrolls and dozed off.

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Come morning, everything and everyone was feeling refreshed. All except for Amelia. Not wanting her friends to get drenched, she had stayed awake the whole night. And since she had no protection from the elements, she had a heck of a cold.

Zelgadis was the first to have rational thought. "Hey, Bert said the spell was temporary. It should have worn off by now!"

Amelia responded by sneezing a huge ball of fire.

"Oh great, and now you're sick! Things just keep going from bad to worse." Zelgadis grumbled.

*Ib's nob zo bad.* Amelia sniffed.

"Not so bad? You sound awful! We should get back to Bert's cabin. Lina! Gourry! Wake up!"

"Aww Zel, it's too early! Gimme an hour..." Lina snored.

"You leave me no choice, Lina. Amelia, if you'd be so kind?" Zelgadis said.

Amelia got up and shook all the water off of her, showering Lina, Gourry, AND Zelgadis.

"AAH!! I'm awake! I'm _awake_!!" Lina screamed.

"What time is it?" asked Gourry.

"Nearly noon. If you slept in any later, you would have missed breakfast." Zelgadis replied.

"Why didn't you say so?" demanded Lina. "Hey Gourry, how does fish for breakfast sound?"

"Sounds good to me!" responded Gourry.

So Lina and Gourry went to go deplete the fish population even more. They came back shortly after with a small mountain of fish.

Lina looked at the previous night's fire. "Drat! This won't do, it's still damp!" 

Just then Amelia sneezed another blast right at the pile of wood. It blazed to life instantly.

"Hey, thanks Amelia!" said Gourry. He and Lina set to work cooking breakfast.

"Hey Amelia, want any?" asked Lina.

Amelia clutched her stomach, or would have if she had regular arms, so she lay down on the ground instead.

"I'll take that as a No'. Oh well, more for me!" and Lina tore into the fish.

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Amelia was again woken up, but this time by Lina poking (actually jabbing) her.

"Hey, we're ready to go." said Lina.

Amelia yawned. *All right, I'm coming.* She started to amble off, but noticed no one followed. *Well?*

Zelgadis came forward. "Actually Amelia, we think it'd be much quicker if you were to fly there."

*Oh...right.* Amelia again yawned, but then crouched low to allow everyone to climb onto her back.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" asked Lina.

*Yes, Miss Lina.* Amelia then took off.

The flight was very similar to the day before, but it was harder for Amelia to gain altitude, and the gusts from her wings nearly leveled the smaller trees below. It wasn't long before they spotted Bert's cabin, and Amelia landed. Zelgadis walked up to the door and knocked. Bert was quick to answer.

"Oh, so you're back already. How did everything go?" Bert asked.

"We ran into a few problems, actually." Zelgadis responded.

"Oh? And where is the young lady?"

"Right there." Zelgadis pointed at Amelia, who had resumed sleeping.

"Oh my... I warned you not to let her get excited!"

Zelgadis was exasperated. _"It_'s _not like I could prevent it."_ He thought. "Can you fix it?" he asked. 

"Not when she's like that. She'd never fit in my cabin! She needs to be in the form she was when you left."

"Hold on." and Zelgadis walked over to the sleeping dragon. Amelia." he nudged her. 

No response.

He tried to shake her.

No response.

He even (carefully!) kicked her.

Still no response.

"Here Zel, let me try." Lina walked right up to Amelia's ear (or where she thought it ought to be) and shouted: "Hey Amelia!! Time to WAKE UP!!!"

Amelia shot up in surprise. *Huh, wha-? What?*

Zelgadis glared at Lina. "Amelia, you need to change back into a bird."

*But I'm so tired...*

"Amelia, you have to! You can sleep all you want afterwards." Zelgadis responded.

*Oh, all right...* Amelia tried, but nothing happened.

"It's just as I feared. I won't be able to help her." Bert commented.

"What do you mean?!" demanded Lina. "You can't leave her like this!"

"But you see, there isn't anything I can do for her. But I do know somebody who can. -If you're willing to make the trip."

"Where?" demanded Zelgadis.

"Near the Desert of Destruction. I have a cousin there that can help her more than I can." said Bert.

"The _Desert of Destruction_?!? Thats a month's journey from here!!" screamed Lina.

"It's either that, or you have yourself quite the pet." Bert replied.

"I got her into this mess. I'll go." stated Zelgadis.

"Hey, you can't take all the blame. We contributed, I guess." said Lina.

"Actually Lina, it was you that-" Gourry got cut off by Lina whacking him.

"Shh! Quiet!" Lina said.

Zelgadis shot a glance at the two. "We'd better be off then."

"Be careful, and say hi to Vinny for me!" said Bert, then he went back into his cabin.

"If we're headed down south, we'll definitely need supplies." Zelgadis commented.

"Hey Lina." said Gourry.

Lina completely ignored him. "Yeah, but the nearest town, aside from Seyruun, is at least a day away! We'd better start walking now."

"Hey Lina!" 

"You forget, provided she agrees, Amelia can fly us to where we need to go much faster than we could walk." Zelgadis replied.

"Lina..."

"Well, let's go ask her then." said Lina.

"Lina!!" Gourry shouted in her ear.

"What?!?" Lina asked.

"You'll have to wait anyway. Amelia's really konked out over there." Gourry said.

Lina followed Gourry's pointed finger to the again snoozing Amelia. "Well, she did stay up all night to keep us dry. I supposed we can let her sleep for a little while. What say we go find that bandit camp to fund' our trip, Gourry?"

Zelgadis sighed. Some things just never changed. "Have fun you two, but don't be out late."

"Yes, Dad." grinned Lina.

"Later, Zel!" called Gourry.

Zelgadis assumed watch over Amelia and mulled over the previous day's events.


	4. Yet Another... (Chapter 4)

The sun was low over the horizon before Zelgadis heard a dragging sound. Looking up, he saw Lina and Gourry had finally returned - with a sack so full that they both had to pull it.

"Did you have to clean out the _entire_ camp, Lina?" asked Zelgadis.

"As a matter of fact, yes. We're going to need money for this trip." Lina replied.

"And do you intend to drag it the whole way?" Zelgadis smirked.

"Lina figured Amelia would do that. Right, Lina?" Gourry smiled at Lina.

"Provided she ever wakes up..." said Lina.

Suddenly a loud rumbling was heard. Everyone looked to Amelia, who had been startled awake by the horrendous sound.

*What was that?*

Again with the rumbling.

Amelia looked down and realized it was coming from her. *Oh, I'm so hungry..." 

"Hey, so am I!" stated Gourry.

"You're always hungry!" griped Lina. "But if we leave now, we should be able to make it to the next town in time for dinner! And get nice rooms... I don't want to relive last night!"

Zelgadis frowned. "You forget, we can't just take her into the town, let alone an inn, like that. The townspeople wouldn't react too well."

Lina looked at her bulging sack. She had a pretty good idea where it was going to end up. "Right! Fine. But let's head out anyway. We won't find any food here. Unless you changed your mind about the fish, Amelia." Lina winked.

Amelia shot Lina a dirty look (which is pretty frightening coming from a dragon!) *Let's just go.* 

She again crouched low to allow everyone on her back. Taking off was a bit more difficult with the added weight of the bandit loot, but Amelia managed.

*So which way do I go?*

"Just follow the setting sun. We should be there in a few hours." said Zelgadis.

__

"I hope I can hold out that long." thought Amelia.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As darkness fell, they spied a small town.

"Better not get too close, Amelia. We don't want to cause any panic." said Lina.

Amelia was more than happy to comply. After a less than graceful landing (Amelia blamed the extra weight), Lina, Gourry, and Zelgadis prepared to head into the town.

"Just lie low for a while. We'll be back soon." said Lina. She took a large portion of gold from the sack and gave the remainder to Amelia for safekeeping. "There you go, your very own horde!" Lina joked.

*I'd rather have a decent meal..* Amelia watched the trio go. _"What have I gotten myself into?"_ She fell into a troubled sleep, but was soon woken by the sound of an approaching wagon.

"You'd better appreciate this, Amelia! Keep this up, and we'll be broke within a week!" Lina shouted. She was driving a wagon overladen with food.

*Food!* Amelia lunged toward the wagon.

"Hold it, Amelia! Wait until we lead the horses away!" commanded Zelgadis. "We're fortunate we got them to come this close to you!" 

After Lina stopped the wagon, Zelgadis unhitched the horses.

"We're going to head back into town. Food and soft beds await us! So we'll see you in the morning. Oh, and try to stay out of trouble, okay?" said Lina.

The trio then left with the horses. After they were long gone, Amelia attacked the wagon.

*Oops! It's so hard to be careful when I can't use my arms...*

She then proceeded to gorge herself until all the food was gone, and since she had nothing better to do, curled up in the field to sleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone had to be in the fields early today. It was finally harvesting time. A group of workers looked over their crop.

"Hey Ned, what do you suppose all that smoke's from?" asked Fred.

"I don't know, but we should check it out. It looks like it's in the wheat!" replied Ned.

Were they in for a shock! As they neared the scorched wheat, they saw a mangled wagon, and a sleeping dragon not far off. The group fled to alert the town guards.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It felt so good to sleep with a full stomach! Amelia was enjoying her dreams, until she felt a jab of pain. _"What was that?"_ Then another. 

Amelia woke up to see at least 20 men (most of them archers) surrounding her. The archers let loose with another volley of arrows, which pierced her in the side. 

*Ouch! Hey, I didn't do anything! Why are you attacking me?*

The small army shrank back. 

"The dragon's awake!" shouted one.

"Stand your ground! We have to chase it off (or kill it, whichever comes first) before it causes any more damage!" shouted another.

Amelia didn't like the sound of that. *I mean you no harm!*

The archers continued to shoot at her, while the other guards drew their swords. With a roar of pain, Amelia took off, grabbing the sack in her teeth.

__

"Miss Lina will kill me if I don't! ...if they don't first!"

As she flew away, an arrow punched a hole in her left wing. The pain was too great for her to continue using it, and she went into an uncontrollable dive...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elsewhere in the town, Lina was just starting the day. She poked her head out of her room's window to breathe in the morning air, but immediately noticed everyone running amok screaming about an attacking dragon. She looked up in time to see a huge dragon flying overhead, carrying a sack. 

"Oh no, Amelia!" 

Lina dashed from her room (fortunately she was already dressed) to get Gourry and Zelgadis. She literally ran into them in the hall.

"Ouch! Lina, what's the big idea?" asked Gourry.

"It's Amelia, she's been discovered! No time to talk, let's go!" Lina grabbed Zelgadis and Gourry by the wrists and took off out of the inn, and in the direction she had seen Amelia go.

Outside of town there was no sign of Amelia.

"Where do you suppose she flew off to?" questioned Lina.

"Lina, look!" 

Gourry was pointing to a forested area not far away. More specifically to a huge flock of birds that were flapping about, as if in fright.

"Come on!" shouted Lina.

The three took off for the forest. In the forest they saw nothing out of the ordinary. Many bushes, a few stumps...

"Oh no, Amelia!" Zelgadis gasped.

She had landed unceremoniously on her side. When they got closer they noticed that she was unconscious, and had at least 30 arrows stuck in her. Thankfully she was still breathing. Gourry set about removing the arrows while Lina and Zelgadis did their best to heal her. She was quick to come to.

"Amelia, what happened?" asked Lina.

*I was sleeping...they attacked me, but I didn't do anything wrong! I tried to get away, but they still got me! ...I did remember to save your money though.*

"Thank goodness they didn't kill you..." Lina hugged Amelia's snout.

"We'd better leave, just in case they send out a search party." warned Zelgadis.

*I don't think I'll be able to fly anytime soon. My wing hurts too much!*

"It's just as well, flying would only attract attention to us." said Zelgadis.

"Let's get going then." prompted Lina. 

She led the way with Gourry and Zelgadis behind. Amelia came soon after. There was only one minor problem. Amelia's stride was much longer than the other's, and she had to practically trip over herself to not step on them. Switching order didn't help either, as she easily outdistanced the others within in a few steps.

"Hold it! This isn't working." exclaimed Lina.

"Yeah, but what can we do about it?" asked Gourry.

"Well, we can't use horses, unless Amelia decides to change that, so we'll have to compromise. Is that okay with you, Amelia?" Lina looked up at her.

Amelia sighed_. "I always end up carrying the luggage anyway. This won't be too different..._ *You won't take no', will you?*

"Ah, she's learned well!" Lina winked.

__

"Why do I even try?" Oh, all right. Just be careful, it still hurts back there.*

"Sorry about that, Amelia. We weren't exactly expecting our best cleric to be incapacitated." Lina sighed. Of all the things to remind her that while she was a skilled practitioner of black magic, her knowledge of white magic was severely lacking.

"Let's just go before somebody sees us." said Zelgadis.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day went by uneventfully. Aside from Lina getting the worst saddle sores of her life! (Pretty amazing considering she wasn't in a saddle...) Gourry seemed to be doing just fine, and if Zelgadis was feeling any aches, he didn't show it. They were still traveling a way's off from the road. After all, it wasn't every day you saw people riding a dragon, and considered it normal.

They were nearing a river when Lina shouted, "I need a break!" and having said this, slid off of Amelia's back.

Lina massaged her achy muscles. "What say we take a break for lunch. Please? We are long gone from that last town, and there's no other threats to worry about."

"Good, I was getting thirsty!" said Gourry as he too slid off and made his way to the river.

"A nice cup of tea, that's all I ask." and Zelgadis also slid off.

While Lina and Zelgadis prepared to make lunch, Amelia joined Gourry by the river.

*I'm so thirsty...* Amelia plunged her whole head in. After a moment she lifted her head out of the water, swallowed, and then got a disgusted look on her face.

"What's wrong?" asked Gourry.

*Fish! Blech!* Amelia trudged back to camp and plopped down.

"What's the matter, Amelia? You're looking a little green." asked Lina.

*I accidentally swallowed some fish.*

"What's with you and fish anyway?" Lina asked.

Amelia made a face. *The taste, the texture, the SMELL! Ugh! That, and they don't agree with me too well.* Her stomach rumbled, as if to agree.

"Too bad, you're missing out on one of the finer foods. Hey Gourry, where's that firewood?" Lina shouted.

"Right here!" responded Gourry. He came back to camp with an armload of wood, then set about preparing a fire.

"Good thing we planned ahead and brought food with us, eh Gourry?" Lina was busily preparing to cook some meat and potatoes.

"Sure, Lina. Hey, where'd Zelgadis go?" Gourry asked.

"Oh, he went to go get some water. He can't live without his precious tea." Lina joked.

Just then Zelgadis came back.

"Lina, you haven't gone fishing in the river, have you?" he asked.

"Nope. Why?"

"The whole river is empty. I've never seen a river without fish in it."

Amelia urped.

"Good, then you've already eaten, Amelia." Lina smiled. "As for the rest of us... Food's done!"

The never ending battle between Lina and Gourry began! ..and was over in mere minutes after the food was gone. Fortunately, Zelgadis had his cup of tea, so all was right in the world. Afterwards, everyone stayed seated, not wanting to resume the journey just yet. (Especially Lina!) Instead Lina got up and walked over to Amelia.

"Here, let me see your wing for a sec."

Amelia obliged.

"Why didn't you say something about this before?! Never mind, let's just see if we can speed up the healing process a bit. Recovery!" 

A few minutes (and recastings) later, Amelia's wing looked much better. Lina however was worn out.

"That does it. Next time, you get to be the victim, Gourry. Playing healer takes a lot out of me."

*Sorry about that, Miss Lina. I could carry you if you want.*

"No! Er..I mean, no thanks. I'll be fine, just give me a few moments." Lina plopped down by the fire. "How does your wing feel now?"

Amelia fanned her wings which, along with completely killing the campfire, blew everyone else a good five feet from where they had been.

*Oops! Well, on the bright side, it feels just fine. ...if not a little stiff.*

Everyone got up and brushed themselves off.

"Well, the fire's out, we may as well continue." said Zelgadis.

"Hey Amelia, think you're up to more flying? It'll do that wing some good." Lina said.

*Sure! My feet were getting tired from walking.*

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so it went for a week. But by then, just as Lina had predicted, their money ran out. (Well, the stolen loot anyway. No way was Lina about to use her hard earned money!)

"Hey guys, I hate to break it to you, but we're out of money." Lina said.

"But Lina! Don't you ha-" Gourry was cut off by Lina's hand clamped over his mouth.

"Eh heh heh heh... Like I was saying, we're all out and we'll need some soon. Especially if we want decent food tonight." Lina said as she thought of past foragings for food. "We haven't seen any bandit camps for a while... How else can we get some quick coinage?"

"You could _work_ for it. You seem to do pretty well doing that." stated Zelgadis.

"Nah, that'll take too long. There's got to be some way to take advantage of our situation... Wait! Hey Amelia, what if you were to "terrorize" a town, then I'd come along and offer to "slay" you? For a price, of course." Lina grinned. What a brilliant idea!

*Absolutely not!! That goes against everything I stand for!*

Or not.

"Amelia, pay attention to where you're going!" pleaded Zelgadis.

"Okay, forget that idea." Lina sighed.

Suddenly a cry rang out from below. Without even thinking, Amelia went into a dive to investigate. Down below, a small caravan was being attacked by a large group of ruffians. Amelia flew right over them before landing out of sight. 

"This is exactly what we needed!" exclaimed a gleeful Lina. "Amelia, follow me and just play along!"

Amelia eyed her suspiciously.

"No tricks, I promise." and Lina took off towards the caravan.

As she neared it, she saw that even though everyone had been shaken up by Amelia's passing, the ruffians had resumed robbing the caravan. Lina decided that for this she'd have to take a page from Amelia's book.*

"Stop villains! How dare you _unjustly_ take that which isn't yours?!"

"Huh?" The ruffians were confused. They looked up to see a young girl standing proudly. The leader stepped forward.

"And who do you think _you_ are?" he asked.

"You _dare_ ask?! I am none other than the great Lina Inverse! Surrender now, or I'll be forced to take action!"

"Oh really? And what could a little girl like you do against us?"

"Little...girl!? You leave me no choice! Now, feel the wrath of my DRAGON SLAVE!!"

The ruffians looked up to see a huge black dragon coming straight at them. They panicked.

"AAAAAH! Forgive us, we didn't know!" the leader shouted.

The whole group of ruffians got down on theirs knees, "Please, oh great Lina Inverse! Call off your dragon slave! We'll never rob again! Promise!!"

Lina waved her hand in the air, as if to send off the dragon. Amelia continued to circle overhead, giving off an ear-shattering roar, just for good measure.

"See that you never do! If I ever catch you again, I won't be as merciful. Now then, so as to help you come clean, give me all that you have stolen, so that I may....return it to it's rightful owners!" Lina cringed. Well, she'd be introducing the loot back into the towns she spent it at, so it wasn't a _total_ lie.

The ruffians were more than happy to comply. As they emptied their packs, sacks, etc., they continued to thank Lina for sparing them. Then, after Lina was sure they had nothing left, they fled. Lina then turned her attention to the caravan.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked.

"We are now, thanks to you." said the leader. "How can we ever repay you?"

"Oh, I need nothing, other than enough money to feed me, and my dragon." Lina smiled.

The caravan leader paled considerably. "Er, well... I suppose you did break up the baddest gang of robbers in these parts...so, here." he threw two bulging bags of gold at Lina's feet.

"Wow, thank's Mister!"

"No, thank you, Miss Inverse."

"Just doing my job.: Lina winked. "Now you take care of yourselves. Bye!" Lina waved before grabbing all of the dropped loot and two bags of gold and heading back into the forest.

Amelia landed beside Lina. *Wow, Miss Lina! That was great! How did I do?* Amelia beamed.

"You did just fine." complimented Lina. "Hey Gourry! Zelgadis! You can come out now!"

The two in question came out from behind the trees.

"I don't know which is more incredible: you actually scaring those ruffians silly, or making it all seem believable." Zelgadis smirked.

"Hey, well it worked, didn't it? Now stop standing around and help me with all this. Yes, you too, Gourry." Lina said, indicating to the pile at her feet.

"Here you go, Lina." Gourry handed Lina the now empty sack from before. "Where are we exactly, anyway? That guy spoke funny."

"Yes, where are we, oh Navigator." Lina looked over to Zelgadis.

"Well, if my calculations are accurate, we should reach our destination any day now." Zelgadis answered.

"Really?!" Lina was ecstatic. 

If the trip was to end so soon, she would still have most of the money she had just "earned". With any luck, it would be quite a while before she had to go searching for odd jobs. 

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Lina swung the full sack over her shoulder. In her excitement, she hadn't noticed how heavy it was and ended up back on the ground. "Whoops..."

"Here Lina, let me take that." said Gourry, and he took the sack.


	5. Yet Another... (Chapter 5)

Two days later, everyone noticed how sparse vegetation was getting.

*Look! Over there!*

Sure enough, the Desert of Destruction could be seen on the horizon.

"All right! We're almost there!" exclaimed Lina.

"Be on the lookout for any sign of life." said Zelgadis.

Everyone looked about (which was easy to do being on the back of an airborne dragon.)

"Oh, like over there?" asked Gourry.

He was pointing to what appeared to be a pillar of smoke. It was hard to tell since it was so far away.

"Wow, I didn't even see that. Good job, Gourry! Let's go check it out, Amelia." said Lina.

As they got closer they saw that it was, in fact, a pillar of smoke. A pillar of smoke coming from a familiar looking cabin, Zelgadis noted. Amelia landed.

*Do you think Mr. Vinny will be home?*

"Let's hope so." Zelgadis (followed by everyone else) walked up to the door and knocked.

Nothing.

Zelgadis knocked again. 

After a moment he heard someone moving about.

"Go away! I'm not buying anything!" shouted a voice.

Zelgadis was taken aback. "...I'm not selling anything, actually. We need your help."

No response.

"Oh, Bert sent us." Zelgadis added.

The door practically flew off of it's hinges. An older man stepped out. "Well, why didn't you say so? I haven't heard from Bert in ages! So, what can I do for you?"

Lina stepped forward. "We were told you could help our friend." she pointed at Amelia. "Bert cast a spell on her that didn't work right."

Vinny looked at Amelia. "I see... No way will she fit inside. Better take her outback. Come."

The group followed Vinny behind his cabin, where they saw sand, sand, and more sand.

"How's this supposed to help?" Gourry whispered to Lina.

"I don't know." she whispered back.

Vinny chanted a short spell, which resulted in sand flying everywhere. When it settled, they saw a huge magic circle.

"I keep it hidden to keep out the riffraff." Vinny explained.

Lina wasn't sure what kind of "riffraff" he meant, but she didn't ask.

"Come now, right this way." Vinny motioned to Amelia. 

She did so.

"Now then, before I fix this, did you bring any personal belongings for this...?" Vinny trailed off.

"Girl." the three answered.

"Ah, thought so, but it's best not to assume. So, did you?" Vinny asked.

"Yes, right here." Zelgadis pulled Amelia's clothes out of his pack.

"Ah, good. Now then, put them in the circle as well."

Zelgadis gave Vinny a perplexed look.

"What? She won't be clothed when she changes back. It's only right you give her some decency." Vinny stated.

Zelgadis blushed, put the clothes next to Amelia, then scampered back to Lina and Gourry.

"Well done. Now, shut your eyes."

Zelgadis and Gourry did as they were told, Zelgadis clamping his eyes shut extra tight! Lina watched on in fascination as Vinny (who also had his eyes shut, but Lina couldn't tell if it was due to giving Amelia some decency, or if he was concentrating) began chanting.

__

"Please let this work..." Amelia thought.

Again Amelia was surrounded by a white aura. At first, nothing happened, but then she began to shrink. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be human, but was very glad to be fully human again. After the spell was completed however, Amelia (who had gotten used to maintaining her balance with a tail) toppled into her clothes.

"AAAH!"

As Amelia struggled to get dressed, Zelgadis continued to keep his eyes shut, even covering them with his hands. Lina made sure that Gourry kept his eyes shut. After Amelia was finished, Lina walked up to her, helping her to stand.

"Glad to have you back, Amelia." Lina smiled.

"Same here. I just hope I'll be able to walk normally again!" Amelia said.

Vinny walked over. "Oh, you'll be fine, just give it a few moments.

"Oh thank you, Mr. Vinny! How can I ever repay you?" Amelia asked.

"I don't need anything. However..." Vinny disappeared into his cabin, but came back out a moment later. "Here, give this to Bert. It's been too long since we last talked. he handed the letter to Amelia.

"I'll be sure he gets it. Thank you again." Amelia replied.

"My pleasure. You all take care."

As everyone turned to go, Vinny called out, "Hold it, son. Do you really want to leave like that?"

Zelgadis looked at him. "Me? What do you mean?"

"Now I know some folks like to enhance' themselves for battle and such, but I've also known folks to be driven crazy by such things as well."

Zelgadis was in shock. "Are..are you saying...that you could fix this?" he pointed to his rocky complexion.

"If that's what you want."

"YES!!" Zelgadis nearly tackled the man. "Er, ah, I mean, yes. That would be wonderful!"

"Well then, let's step inside. But first..." he turned and chanted a spell that again covered the magic circle. "Don't want to attract unwanted attention. Now let's go inside."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The inside of Vinny's cabin was practically identical to Bert's. Zelgadis was led into a room with a magic circle.

"Now then, put down your things and step into the circle."

Amelia stepped up to Zelgadis. "I'll hold those for you, Mr. Zelgadis."

"Oh, well thank you. Here." he handed Amelia his pack.

"Go for it!" she whispered.

Zelgadis smiled, then stepped into the circle. Vinny again began chanting. Zelgadis was surrounded by a blue aura. Unlike the first time, when Rezo had changed him into a chimera, this felt soothing. He could practically fall asleep...

"Mr. Zelgadis!"

Zelgadis snapped back to reality and looked around. Everyone was looking at him. Lina, Gourry, and especially Amelia were smiling at him.

"Does this mean..?" he looked down and was overjoyed to see flesh. "YES! FINALLY! I'M HUMAN AGAIN!!" Zelgadis danced around the room.

"Wow, he must have really wanted it." commented Gourry.

"Call it an obsession." responded Lina.

Zelgadis ran up to Vinny and shook his hand vigorously. "Thank you! THANK YOU!!" He then ran to Amelia, lifted her up and swung her around. "And it's all because of you! Thank you for being so stubborn!" He continued to twirl her, but he lost his balance and fell.

"Ow.." Amelia rubbed her head. "Mr. Zelgadis, are you all right?"

"I have _bruises_! This is so wonderful!" Zelgadis beamed.

"Uh.." Amelia could only stare incredulously at him.

Lina walked up to Zelgadis and throttled him. "GET! A! GRIP!!"

"Oh, ah, right. Sorry about that. I don't know what came over me." Zelgadis smiled.

"Okay, we need to get you outta here - fast! C'mon Gourry, Amelia." Lina pulled Zelgadis away.

"Good-bye, Mr. Vinny! Thanks again for all of your help!"

"Y'all have a safe trip!" Vinny waved.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the four started to leave, realization dawned on Lina.

"Hey Zelgadis, how did you plan on getting back to Seyruun?"

"I, well.." Zelgadis looked to Amelia. "Oh, right. I don't know, actually."

"Are you saying we have to walk all the way back?" cried Gourry. "That's a whole month!"

"I could sure go for those horses you talked about." commented Amelia.

Lina looked at her bulging sack o coins. She had a very good idea where it would all be going...

"WHY ME!?!"

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And THAT is the end! No more! All done! ..thank goodness. ^_^;; Anyway, this fic came about when I thought up a much darker (and longer) fic idea, but first I wanted to see if I could even write a fic with one of the cast not being human. That is what you just read. It came out a bit mushy, but it was fun to have Lina and Gourry in a fic for once! As for the other fic idea of mine..as of yet I'm undecided on whether I'll write it or not. (This fic proved that I can, but I'm not sure if I should. Maybe someday..)


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